The FINANCIAL -- IKEA on March 3 announced that its future Las Vegas store will öppen at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, May 18, 2016, expanding the IKEA presence in the Southwestern United States. Customers can begin lining-up at the store on Monday, May 16, 2016 – 48 hours in advance of the doors’ opening on May 18 – and soon can learn of more grand opening plans and promotions at IKEA-USA.com/LasVegas. It will be the Swedish company’s first store in Nevada, and 42nd in the U.S., with the closest IKEA stores in: Covina, CA; Draper, UT; or Tempe, AZ.

“We are thrilled by the excellent construction progress made to date, and believe we can complete the remaining milestones and interior build-up by mid-May. Besides furnishing our store, we also are focused on training the approximately 300 coworkers joining the IKEA family,” noted Amy Jensen, store manager of the future IKEA Las Vegas. “We look forward to introducing customers in Southern Nevada to a whole new way of shopping for the home.”

The 351,000 square-foot future IKEA Las Vegas store, with 1,300 parking spaces, is being built on 26 acres along the northern side of the 215 Beltway at Durango Drive, near Sunset Road. The store will reflect the unique architectural design for which IKEA is known worldwide, and host Nevada’s largest single-use retail rooftop solar array, consistent with the solar presence at 90% of its U.S. locations.

IKEA Las Vegas will feature nearly 10,000 exclusively designed items, 50 inspirational room-settings, three model home interiors, a supervised children’s play area, and a 450-seat restaurant serving Swedish specialties such as meatballs with lingonberries and salmon plates, as well as American dishes and more sustainable options. Other family-friendly features include a ‘Children’s IKEA’ area in the Showroom, baby care rooms, play areas throughout the store and preferred parking, according to IKEA.

In addition to the more than 500 jobs created from construction, approximately 300 coworkers will have joined the IKEA family when the new store opens. Diverse positions at this employer of choice include: sales, interior design, customer service, safety and security, cashiers, maintenance, goods flow, receiving, warehouse and stock replenishment. Also, among its total coworkers, IKEA Las Vegas offers more than 50 food service opportunities in its Restaurant, Swedish Foodmarket, Café Bistro and coworker cafeteria. Interested candidates should visit IKEA-USA.com to apply.